11/1: HBD Ham, Larry, Miguel & Gary

• 1884 - PH Robert Hamilton “Ham” Hyatt was born in Buncombe County, NC. Nominally a 1B/OF but used mainly as a pinch-hitter, Hyatt played for the Bucs from 1910-11, went to the minors for a year and returned from 1912-14, hitting .267 for Pittsburgh. Ham spent a couple of more years in the show and finished off with a PCL stint, as he and his wife lived in her native Washington state.

Ham Hyatt 1910 Tip Top Bread series

• 1907 - LHP Larry French was born in Visalia, California. He started his 14 year career in Pittsburgh (1929-34) and had a line of 87-83/3.50, winning 15 or more games four times as a Pirate. French won 197 games before he hung ‘em up and was an All-Star for the Cubs in 1940. He’s still remembered for his 1933 “Soap Game.”  With the Bucs up 8-0 in the ninth, French ducked out of the bullpen to get to the hot water first. The pesky Boston Braves tied the game, and French was summoned from the bullpen with soap still dripping down his face. It didn’t hurt; he tossed 1-⅔ IP perfectly and got the win in ten innings.
• 1954 - OF Miguel Dilone was born in Santiago, Dominican Republic. He played parts of five seasons for Pittsburgh, from 1974-77 and again in 1983, but mustered just 75 PA and a .145 BA over that span and was used primarily as a pinch runner, finishing his career with 267 swiped sacks, 23 as a Pirate. Dilone carved out a 12 year MLB gig and had a .265 lifetime BA while playing for seven teams. The speedster was know in the Dominican as the "Saeta Cibaeña" (Cibao Dart) because of his baserunning chops.

Miguel Dilone 1978 Topps series

• 1956 - 1B/OF Gary Redus was born in Tanner, Alabama. He was a minor league phenom who hit .462 while playing 68 games for the Pioneer League Billings Mustangs’ in 1978, setting a record for pro baseball that still stands, across all levels and all leagues. Redus played off the bench for five years (1988-92) with three division winning teams as a Pirate, hitting .255 in 398 Buc games. His biggest day as a Buc was on August 25th, 1989 when he hit for the cycle in a 12–3 victory over the Reds. Redus retired from playing in 1994, coached baseball for six years at Calhoun Community College in Tanner, Ala. & was an outfield instructor for Pittsburgh and Houston before retiring for good.